I am looking for some advice.At the end of May I am due to fight a line-up of 10 people That is 10 x2minute rounds, with no breaks, just a whistle and hand shake between bouts. Rules will be basically as per DB.

I am doing a lot of running - up hills, varying the pace, adding in sprints.Also a lot of body weight exercises.In addition to my regular eskrima training.

Where is this at? Is it a closed event? I have done several closed door tournaments where I fought everyone (four people) at least twice and it turned out to be a very fun day! The rules were more limited though as we did not go to the ground so it was all stick (single or double).

It will take place at the Rapid Arnis camp in Kent in England.Most of the people I am likely to face are very experienced WEKAF fighters (numerous world champions) and a few are experienced in DB style fights (though those few are very experienced).With one exception, there is very little grappling experience (one other guy and I are experienced MMA fighters - we used to train together).

My initial thoughts are to keep the fights at long range (which I like) and away from the close-up sort of range where a really fast WEKAF stylist is going to lash me. Failing that, move in, take down, tap out.

My request was really intended to get people's advice on the cardio end of training for this.How to avoid getting gassed after 3 fights and then regretting it for the next 7!!

Set up ten 2 minute round Crossfit type stations. That would be tire flipping, kettlebell swing, barbell thruster/pullups, 440 sprints, burpee's, etc, skiprope, hindu pushup/squat, punching the heavybag all out, etc, etc. etc. Do the full ten rounds on whatever day of the week your test would be. Include stickwork/fighting stuff in 3 of those rounds, (bag, thai pads, stick hitting a tire). Take only a minute between rounds then reduce this to NO TIME AT ALL,..NO REST. On the other two training days, just do five rounds but be inventive and use www.crossfit.com or american parkour for ideas on the training modalities.

Set up ten 2 minute round Crossfit type stations. That would be tire flipping, kettlebell swing, barbell thruster/pullups, 440 sprints, burpee's, etc, skiprope, hindu pushup/squat, punching the heavybag all out, etc, etc. etc. Do the full ten rounds on whatever day of the week your test would be. Include stickwork/fighting stuff in 3 of those rounds, (bag, thai pads, stick hitting a tire). Take only a minute between rounds then reduce this to NO TIME AT ALL,..NO REST. On the other two training days, just do five rounds but be inventive and use www.crossfit.com or american parkour for ideas on the training modalities.

Wow, that sounds like fun. Your sprints are a great start, as is Mr. Furman's circuit.

Overall, when it comes to sport-specific endurance, there's nothing like doing that sport. I know it's hard to find training partners, and in their absence, you can just repeat the event around a heavy bag. It's not the same, but if you stick to the schedule, you can at least have some mental experience with that ordeal. The determinism of the event reduces the stress. I practice spar with my friends and usually outlast them all. My opinion is that only part of that is physical conditioning. The rest is teaching your body what it must do. It's kinda like running without a known endpoint. The records skips on and on ... but really, I think there is a lot to be said for prior event experience.

As you probably know, you will lose a lot of water. It's a good idea to drink enough beforehand, preferably with some of that Nuun salts. Other sports drinks are more for recovery and their acidity will turn your stomach. Sometimes, the dehydration get out of control and the chills set in. I wish I knew more about how to prevent or mitigate that.

When doing lots of heavy sweating my suggestion is to make sure that your food and supplements (in that order by the way) are getting you the minerals you need, including trace minerals. My layman's opinion is that organic foods tend to be distinctly superior in this regard (as well as others).

I also tend to keep my cardio up by doing pad rounds (Thai Pads, Focus Mits) to get ready for a fight. I find this to be one of the safest (and more fun) ways to get my wind where it needs to be. To this day I can't think of a more exhausting working than setting a numerical goal for thai kicks within a round and pushing myself to a higher number each round, I like to work up to 8-10 rounds. Work up to a safe routine where you can push yourself to the limit without a danger of premature failure (muscle/ligament tears, etc). Also, make sure you are stretching well before AND AFTER each workout.